Markieff Morris explains why Kyrie Irving ultimately left the Nets

One of the main topics that is still being discussed among Brooklyn Nets fans is the decline of the Big 3 after just a few years of title contention for the franchise. One of the events that has been talked about a lot is Kyrie Irving's request to be traded from Brooklyn during the 2022-23 season, when he and Kevin Durant were still good enough to compete for a title.

“It was time for his (Irving's) contract extension, the two sides didn't meet, business issues arose and this is what happened. That's the way it goes,” Dallas Mavericks forward Markieff Morris said of his teammate Irving in an interview with Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. Since Irving was in the final year of his contract, he tried in vain to negotiate a contract extension with the Nets during the first half of the season.

“I think Kyrie averaged about 27 [points] back then. I think we won 18 of 20 and suddenly it was business. That's how it goes sometimes. A guy of Kyrie's caliber, I wouldn't put up with that either. Get me out of there,” Morris said.

Reports at the time indicated that Irving and the Nets wanted to continue their partnership because one of the reasons Irving was in Brooklyn was to fulfill his childhood dream of playing for the Nets. To cut a long story short, because Irving had some controversial moments with the franchise and there were also availability issues, the two sides were unable to agree on a contract.

After an impasse between Brooklyn and Irving, Irving requested a trade, threatening to sit out the rest of the season if he wasn't traded by the deadline. Irving was eventually traded to the Mavericks, where he is now competing for a title against the Boston Celtics.

The story originally appeared on Nets Wire